More User Reviews:

A: [3.50] Mid to light amber color. Produced a nice 1 1/2 finger head. The head was creamy and tight. The head dissipated pretty quickly. The bottle had a bit of sediment - but I think that is expected for the style. Beer is listed at 8% ABV. No dating on the bottle.

S: [3.75] Smoke. More specifically bacon. There is a distinct charred hardwood (like what bacon is cured over). Maybe some other hints of sweetness and caramel underneath.

T: [4.25] The taste follows the nose - but it is reversed. I get caramel and malty sweetness up front and then the smoked wood on the finish. There are no hops (or none that I can taste). I get no sense of the 8% alcohol - it is well hidden.

M: [4.50] Nice mouthfeel. Nothing cloying or drying at all.

O: [4.00] I have had one other smoked beer, from Germany, and it was over the top. This one is nicely balanced with more malt character. I really enjoyed this one. Very crisp and refreshing. No sense of alcohol burn, no drying or bittering. I think you could session a few of these. (1,046 characters)

Great to see this bottled offering here in Greensboro.Poured into a 1/2 liter stein a clear bronze with a fluffy white head,the lightest doppelbock beer I have ever saw but its clarity is nice.smoked summer sausage really sticks out to me in the nose along with a bit of iron.Smoked meat flavors abound,I mean it tastes like my moms summer sausage from back in the day,the oak makes this beer different than the others Schlenkerla beers.It tastes like oak fired pork,its an aquired taste,I used to cringe at this style of beer,now I search out this style,not for the faint of heart. (582 characters)

It pours a light orangish/red with a small head that dissipated quickly. I took a sniff and there was a smell of smoked malts which almost smelled of a smoked gouda cheese. The taste was quite complex, there was a taste of the smokiness like a smoked cheese/oaky flavor. That was then surpassed with a sweeter aftertaste of fruits and brown sugar finish. The mouthfeel is a a full body and heavy beer like most rauchbeirs. There is light carbonation. There is also a slight hint of alcohol, but it does weigh in at 8% abv. Overall, this rauchbeir is probably at the top of my list of rauchbeirs. I can only drink one or 2 of these bottles and then feel full. If you are into Rauchbeirs get this around christmas or whenever you can find this one! (746 characters)

Pours a deep amber color around the edges with a noticeably darker, copper center. Mostly murky and hazy with only slight transparency in the outer-amber crust. The cap is a weird shade of beige, possibly with some grey tint to it; decent retention and mild lacing left near the very top of the glass. Plenty of carbonation bubbles stream to the top of the beer - this one started slowly bubbling over after popping the cap.

As expected, a deep blanket of smokey goodness cleanses my nostrils the second I begin to bring the beer to my face. The smoke is deep and robust with a soft, underlying sweetness. It's got the "meaty" vibe going just a bit, hinting at smoked sausage or bacon. However the smoke seems a little sweeter in this as compared to the marzen and urbock. The malts seem to be heavier as they inject a caramel and toffee-like sweetness to the mix. In this sense, the smoke isn't quite as "forward" as some of the other Schlenkerla beers, rather it's more entwined. Strong notes of oak come out halfway through as well, and get even more forward upon the warming of the beer.

After my first sip, I'm surprised to find that the smoke flavor is much lighter on the palate than the nose would lead you to think. It's definitely still a huge contributing factor to the flavor, though; liquid smoke, soft sweetness, lightly burnt campfire wood, oak. The smoke flavors show unexpected complexity, actually. Equal in power, however, are the malts; caramely sweet, lightly sticky like toffee, and granting a substantial plum-like fruitness on the very tail end. Also in the finish is big-time bread and a lightly fading, sweet smoke and burnt wood flavor. Alcohol undetectable at first but provides some warmth halfway through the brew. Medium bodied, lightly sticky mouth feel with lots of carbonation.

Pretty damn good - if I had to choose, I'd say I like this better than the Marzen but not quite as much as the Urbock. The smoke flavors are a little more balanced in the way that the malt character seems to be much more "loaded up" in this one. The oak makes a very solid contribution to the flavor as well. Very enjoyable to drink - Heller-Trum is quickly becoming one of my favorite overseas breweries. (2,221 characters)

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass, this beer is a beautiful, dark amber with a light tan head that rapidly dissipates and leaves no noticeable lacing.The aroma is quite remarkable: Sweet malt and biscuit and baking bread and that underlying smoked char. Lovely.Amazing taste this beer. I keep thinking it's a liquid Pixies song; instead of soft-loud-soft, it's bitter-sweet-bitter. Lots of bitter, dark fruit and spice right off, then sweet caramel and toffee and then a spicy and dry bitter. And beneath it all, that wonderful lingering oak char with hints of vanilla thrown in.Moutfeel is medium-thin and a bit sticky.Overall, this is just a great beer. (668 characters)

Poured into 25cl tulipMahogany colored with minimal, yellowish-tan head. Smells of oak smoke, ash-pit, pine, strong aroma fills the nose, pungent smell which permiates the nose wuickly. Tast is similar to smell, yet even more smokier, tastes like a beef jerkey stick. Malt undertones and with some toasted hints, and a hint of dry Carmel flavor, not sweet at all. Mouthfeel is lighter than expected, very drinkable, smooth texture and light-medium body is memorable, since I would expect much more heaviness in texture with beer of this many layers. Would pair awesome with sausage, salmon, cream-cheese, dill, herbs, mustard, smoked trout. (642 characters)

Drinkability: This is right up there with my favorite beers of all time. Just an amazing brew. The smoke is there but not overpowering. It sneaks in very subtly. The oak is also there but not too strong. Perfectly balanced. I would love to see this be a regular offering. (519 characters)

Wood smoked malt dominates the nose.Pours deep ruby tinted amber with a rich 2" off-white persistent head.The big smoky caramelly malty rich palate reminds me of wood roast pork chops or fall off the bone smoked pork shoulder. It is very rich and wonderful but it is very hard to drink more than one at a sitting.Creamy smooth, a little oily, medium full body, medium low carbonation. A unique classic. (406 characters)

Pours a deep ruby brown color. A retentive 1/4 in layer of off white head. Mild lacing from a swirl is quick to fall back into the beer.

Big smoked meat aroma. Very nice. Some sweet bready malt struggles to be noticed through all the smoke.

Again, intense smokiness, smoked meats, seems slightly oaky with a slightly smoother overall character than their other beers. A nice dark bready sweet malt rounds things out and reminds you of the dopplebock base.

Medium in body, good carb. Feels as the style should.

A very nice smoke beer, among the best. Keeps me coming back to the classic of classics when it comes to this style. As with their other beers, a nice balance of smoke to malt. (729 characters)